Summary report on the notebooks

Robin George Collingwood (1889-1943),
philosopher and historian

THE ASHMOLEAN LIBRARY, OXFORD

(reference: GB-0479-Collingwood)

Table of Contents

Access

All enquiries about access should be directed in writing to the Librarian, The Ashmolean Library.

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Introduction

RG Collingwood was born at Cartmel Fell, Lancashire, on 22 February 1889. His father, William Gershom Collingwood, contributed to his education, much of which was undertaken at home. He attended Rugby School and in 1908 went up to University College, Oxford, with a classical scholarship. He obtained a first class degree in 1912 and was elected to a philosophical fellowship at Pembroke College. From 1927 to 1935 he was university lecturer in philosophy and Roman history and established himself as a great authority on Roman Britain. In 1935 he left Pembroke for Magdalen on his appointment as Waynflete professor of metaphysical philosophy. Collingwood suffered ill-health for many years and died in 1943.

This summary consists of a brief review of some of Collingwood's notebooks, recently found in the Ashmolean. The volumes form a single numbered, chronological series, containing sketches, notes, copies of inscriptions, etc. When inspected, they were stored in three boxes, and three volumes were not present. The main body of Collingwood's papers is in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

The summary was produced as part of a survey by the Commission of the papers of British antiquaries and historians. The Commission is most grateful to Mr Brian McGregor and Dr John Taylor for their assistance.

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Summary report

I
1913: Carlisle, sketches, rough notes

II-III
Not seen

IV
c1920: biographical notes

V
1921: sketches, notes

VI
1922: sketches, notes of inscriptions etc

VII
1923: tour notes from Wales, sketches etc

VIII
1924: notes, sketches etc

IX
1924-25: notes, sketches etc

X
1925: notes, sketches etc

XI
1925: Chesters, notes for Museum catalogue etc

XII
Not seen

XIII
1926: Chesters collations

XIV
1926: Butler's inscriptions at Shrewsbury

XV
1926: MS on Scaleby Castle inscriptions

XVI
1926: notes and sketches

XVII
1926: Inscriptions in Yorkshire, Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire - A Guide to Chesters Museum outside the main collections

XVIII
1926: inscriptions in County Durham and Northumberland in the Chesters Museum

XIX
1927: notes and sketches

XX
1927: notes and sketches

XXI
1928-29: tour notes, sketches etc

XXII
Mainly 1929: Wales, Central England, Lancashire, Yorkshire

XXIII
1929: inscriptions at York

XXIV
1930: a card in the box states 'Notebook XXIV (1930) Einstein and others portrait sketches'

XXV
1932: notes and sketches

XXVI
April 1933: Lyme Regis

XXVII
1934: notes and sketches

XXVIII
1935: notes and sketches

XXIX
1936: notes and sketches

XXX
1936: Edinburgh, notes and sketches

XXXI
1937: France - St Remy, Carcassone

A final notebook, which is not part of the numbered series, is an index of RGC's notebooks. Mainly epigraphic, it was compiled by RG Wright.